Aliphos Gardwin Backstory
by Jesliey
Summary: Just the backstory for my own character. I will ask the friends that are helping me with the story to make their own backstories for their characters


**Character Backgrounds: Aliphos**  
_Pre-Fanfic 1 story:_

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He was born in a region north of the Sword Coast called Icewind Dale.

His place of birth is in a forgotten city built into the mountains called Frostspire. It was the city of the Arctic-Elves.

It was a self-sustained citadel with it's own personal army, which he joined. But don't get the wrong idea, the people are very friendly and hospitable.

His father was a human traveling merchant named Aleph Gardwin, who discovered the forgotten city and decided to settle down. That was when he met Aliphos' mother, a local Arctic-Elf by the name of Aria-nay. After they married they had their son, but she died during childbirth.

Stricken with grief, the father left his place of sorrow with his new son. After about a month of traveling, they landed in Baldur's Gate and settled again.

The boy grew up in the poorer part of the Noble's District. This was before the current Duke made it what it is. The boy grew up with a standard education, while taking a liking to teachings for survivalism.

By the time the boy was five, his father had re-married to a human healer named Abigail and had just fathered a second child. From the moment he first saw his brother, Aliphos could not be separated from young Nazeron.

All through their school years up until the present day, Aliphos has watched over his little brother. When Nazeron finished school, he decided to apply for the Brotherhood of Paladins at High Hedge and become a purifier of the land.

So while he was off at his monastery, Aliphos was left alone. There was nothing left for him in Baldur's Gate, so he decided to travel to his place of birth. Get in touch with his roots. He traveled by sea.

Once he arrived on the shores of Icewind Dale, he immediately set out for the mountains. After about two days on the road with a friendly caravan he tagged along with, he was attacked by bandits and taken hostage. They took him to their camp at the base of the mountains and kept him for four weeks. During that time he was forced to do everything from manual labour to being a sex toy for the chief's daughter (which he honestly didn't mind).

On the first day of the fifth week, he awoke to the sound of battle. Turns out that a nearby city had been tracking bandit patrols and sent a task force to wipe out the settlement. The bandits were organized, but they were no match for a military trained assault. After they wiped out the bandits, the task force leader found the hostage pen and freed everyone.

He also gave a choice. Leave and enjoy freedom, or return to the city with the soldiers. Aliphos was the only one who decided to stay. He was forever in their debt, and would do anything to repay it.

The soldiers took Aliphos with them to the city. Which just so happened to be the city he was searching for. After telling the leader of the task force of the little coincidence, he asked why Aliphos was looking for it in the first place. He then went on to tell his story to this man he had recently befriended. This man named Captain Morgan.

After hearing the spectacular life story of his new friend, Morgan realized who it was that he was talking to. Morgan had been his fathers best friend while he lived in Frostspire. He had been the best man at the wedding of Aliphos' parents.

So began the hunter's ties in Frostspire. The first person he met was practically family. Plus it gave him an idea on how to pay him back.

A few days in and the hunter applied to join the Citadel Royal Guard. After he was accepted with Captain vouching for him, he immediately was sent to training. He was healthy when he joined, but the standard for the Royal Guard required peak physical condition.

Months of nonstop training. Constantly improving his combat skills. He trained to be a master swordsman, but after a month it was clear that it wasn't his best skill. Archery, however was completely different. He spent hours upon hours each day honing his skill with a bow. He train until near perfection of his art. He became the best archer in the city. He had become a full member of the Citadel Royal Guard. He wasn't the strongest soldier in the guard, but he was the fastest. His reflexes were legendary.

A couple years later and they would come in handy. He had gone on several little missions while he was enlisted. Including a trip by sea to explore some islands off the coast with Captain and some hired mercenaries whom he became friends with. And another year later would come a rather life changing night of the hunter's life.

The city had been forgotten by the outside world, but those who just happened to wander by were welcomed with open arms.

But once they left, what the visitors did with the knowledge of the city was up to them.

Most were smart enough to keep it to themselves. But some talked. Some talked to the wrong people.

They told some friends. Who told more friends. Who told more friends. Who happened to be criminal in trade. A criminal who dealt information to those with money.

Those with money were often bandits. And one particular group had been itching to find the city for a few of years now. Ever since they were almost wiped out by the task force.

They had regained some numbers and had planned a little payback.

They notified other more organized bandit camps of their plan and set to work. Little by little, they started to work their way into the city. Too many at one time and it would arouse suspicion. So they stayed sparse and quite.

After a few weeks of immersing themselves with the population of the city, they began their attack.

It began at night on a Tuesday. The battle that would change Frostspire forever. They started by quietly killing the street guards and civilians. They went at it for almost an hour before someone rang the city alarm.

Then it really began. Almost a third of the Citadel had been killed before the battle had even began. Once it did, it didn't last long. Military training had the bandits severely outmatched. The Royal Guard eradicated every one of the seven bandit tribes. Right down to the last thieving scoundrel.

And that was enough to break him. The hunter was never quite the same again. That was when he left. He couldn't stand the thought of organized slaughter. Even if it was just self defense, almost a thousand people were butchered that night and it was too much.

The city counsel passed a law that took precautions when it came to visitors. Magical incantations were put on every visitor entering the city. Something like that would never happen again.

But it still wasn't enough. He had to get away. He just had to.

So he left again. Just like he did so many years before, he was once again running from tragedy. He just left. He didn't even stop to say goodbye or even return his military equipment. No one stopped him. They all understood. And no one blamed him.

So he returned home. He walked in silence for five days without rest just to reach the shore. Then came the trip by sea. All he did was sit in silence. People stopped and stared at this single soldier. Still dressed in his uniform armor.

People talked to him. Asked him questions. But he just sat there. He only moved to eat and drink.

He sat in the same place in silence for just over a month until they reached the shores of the Sword Coast. Then he kept walking. Nonstop until he reached the monastery of his brother.

It had been five years since he last saw his brother. He needed him. He needed someone. Anyone.

Nazeron had become a full Brotherhood paladin in the absence of his brother. As he opened the monastery doors and saw this rugged, dirty soldier, he lit up and recognized his closest friend and brother.

Then all grew dark. He saw that Aliphos was not the same. He saw he would never be the same. This man standing before him was different than the one he knew five years ago. It looked as though he had seen much since he left. Too much. The look in his eyes showed a loss of hope. Loss of faith.

The hunter was taken in by the Brotherhood. They tried to talk to him. But he stayed silent.

It took weeks until he spoke. Even when he did, the first word he had spoken in months was chilling.

"Exterminate"

That was his only word. The only word he said was of what was on his mind.

That was his only word for the next several months too. He didn't say much, but he drew. He had to get out his thoughts and he didn't speak, so he drew instead. Pictures upon pictures he drew. All of the same battle, all of his memories.

He drew all the things he saw at that bloody massacre. He drew them hundreds of times. Each one with explicit detail. The things he drew were enough to sicken the paladins that cared for him. They even made his brother feel disturbed.

This went on for four months. During that time he improved vastly. He started talking again. He started walking around in the monastery. He even started going outside by himself. He was improving.

After those four months he had become almost completely back to normal. He had even regained a bit of his witty sense of humor. It was time for him to return to the outside world. So with his brother at his side, they both returned to Baldur's Gate.

It was there that they bought a house and lived together. Aliphos needed something to take up his time, so he joined the Followers of Zulway too. But after a year since he returned to the monastery High Hedge, he still felt empty. He needed something that called to him.

He thought. He thought that he had thought long enough. He knew he had to move on. So he picked up his bow. And walked out the door. He walked out of the city and into the surrounding forest. He was ready to hunt.

He was doing himself a disservice with inaction. So he would try to put food on the table to keep himself occupied throughout the day. He wasn't very good at first. He was an excellent shot, but hunting animals isn't exactly in the military training. He had to learn how to track his prey. In the meantime, those survivalism lessons he loved so much as a child helped him find wild herbs, spices, and fruits. It wasn't much, but this was his first time relying on the wilderness for food. Before he headed home he managed to grab a few rabbits for dinner. Not bad for his first try.

He read up on the animals and creatures of the land for the next few days. Constantly in the city library, learning about his future prey. Hunting interested him. A lot. It was strange to him that he enjoyed it. He hated death altogether. Ever since he left Frostspire.

But maybe it wasn't the killing. Maybe he didn't enjoy the hunt for the kill, but for his own survival. He knew that what he was hunting and gathering in the forests would feed him and his brother. Maybe that's why he loved it. For the fact that he was keeping them both alive. They could buy food if they had to, but this gave the hunter the feeling of preserving life that he needed so much.

He kept getting better with each passing day. Each day he brought back better and better food. Soon he and his brother were eating like kings. He had so much food that he actually just gave it away. There had been a new Duke appointed since Aliphos left. And he had taught the city the meaning of inequality. He sapped all the money from the poor and made sure that the Noble's District got a share of the profits.

He didn't like it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it short of an assassination. Especially if the rumors of the new Captain of the Guard were true. Rumors said that the new Captain was named Captain. That he hailed from the northern coasts. That he owned his own brand of rum.

If they were true, he wouldn't want to reunite with an old friend by being arrested by him. The irony of that though became apparent when there came a knocking on the door. He opened it to see that his old friend Captain Morgan was standing in front of him with a pair of hand irons.

They exchanged a few words along the lines of mentioning the irony and how awkward it was. After being told that he was officially under arrest, Aliphos cooperated and went peacefully to the Duke's palace. Where he was more or less scolded and threatened by the Duke for his hunting habits. But after noticing a rather large pile of paperwork on his personal desk and some quick thinking, the hunter interrupted the Duke and proposed a deal. He would do the little custodial jobs for the Duke at minimal cost, so long as he was allowed to feed himself and his brother no questions asked. It took a minute for the Duke to agree. It just seemed easier to just let things go from there.

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And that's how he earned his drinking money. A few months later, and that brings us to the events of Fanfic 1. Enjoy


End file.
